Weaving Hearts
by Realms of Destiny
Summary: Okay, the two most popular boys in school have asked me out but I'm in love with my best friend and now I've found that weird transfer student sleeping in my bed! How did this all happen?- Namora, Namixas, Namiku, Namayner, Roxette, Roxiri, SoKai and more
1. From the Start

**Prologue:**

Okay, so what would you do if you were in my situation? Two of the school's most popular boys have asked me out at the same time but I've just realised that I'm in love with my best friend! To make things worse, I found the weird transfer student sleeping in my bed! Now how did he get there?

I should probably start from the start, right? Here goes...

**The Start:**

"Naminé, wake up it's time for school!" I heard my Mum's voice call from downstairs. How many times did I have to tell her that I could wake up myself? I was already dressed and stared in to my dressing mirror at my neat uniform. Grabbing my long hair into my palm, I twisted it into a meticulous bun at the back of my head. I skipped the make-up since I never needed it. Acne had been a stressful part of my early teenage years but now my skin has turned into something new thanks to a healthy diet all summer!

I fixed my new books into my school bag eagerly. This was my final year in Traverse Town High School and I desperately wanted to achieve maximum grades to get into the Twilight Town University for arts and crafts.

The fresh scent of pancakes filled my nostrils as I made my way downstairs, passing the many photographs of my family.

"Nam, did you wake you're brother?" Mum asked when I entered the kitchen. I took a seat on our high stools at the counter and poured myself some tea.

"Doesn't Demyx leave early for college?"

"He does? That's strange, I thought he was in bed," my mother sighed and handed me her wonderful pancakes which I gobbled down hungrily. I stared at my mum as she commenced washing the dishes. She turned to catch my eye and gave me a smile.

"Are you missing your father?"

I stared at my black shoes and nodded. Dad was an air-force pilot that worked for the Kingdom Hearts Organisation. He travelled through the skies to ensure that none of the Heartless' were troubling citizens of the many worlds. I missed him often and I feared for his safety when he would be away for long periods of time.

"Balthier is returning this weekend. We'll all catch up on some family time together," Mum reassured. Her words eased my sense of fear. My lips curled into a small smile but I frowned instantly as a mental image of my no-good brother formed in my mind.

"But Mum, do you think Demyx will be here in the weekend? He's never around and you're not even too harsh on him," I said, eating another bite off my pancake.

"Naminé, don't talk with your mouth full!"

Ah, I knew it. She always avoids talking about my older brother's responsibilities because he's too spoiled for his own good. Sometimes I wish my older brother was like Kairi's older brother. Her brother will be starting to teach this year at our school. She was so lucky! Everyone kept complimenting her on it.

* * *

I met up with Kairi on my way out. Was it just me or did she grow an inch taller since I've last seen her?

I'm telling you, Kairi was one of the prettiest girls in the whole school yet she refuses to date any of the boys that swoon over her. Her dark red hair was a rare attraction and she chose her make-up professionally. Her sporty life-style had given her a drop-dead-gorgeous body. When I examine my own body, I feel quite inferior towards her because I'm all stick and bones while she's all toned and shapely.

Kairi gave me a tight hug.

"Hey there, Nam!"

I returned the hug and smiled. "Hey Kairi."

We instantly began talking about our summer to catch up on things. Kairi usually goes back to Hollow Bastion to visit her dad every summer so I never get to see her. She returns to Vanille, her young mother once school is about to restart.

You're probably wondering now who I spent my summer with? Well...I'm getting to that part...

"Hi," a sullen voice uttered close-by. We turned to face Roxas, walking over with his hands in his pockets. He wore his usual grim expression.

What could I say? My heart suddenly started banging against my fragile ribcage and I felt my cheeks grow hot. Luckily for me, I had a peachy skin tone so my blushes never showed too easily but that's not the point. It was at that moment, while I was talking to Kairi and turned to stare at my best friend Roxas, I realised something: My hormones had started.

Yeah, sure I was seventeen and my periods began when I was a mere thirteen year old but I was never smitten about a boy like that. I suddenly realised how cute Roxas was with his golden spiky hair and large iceberg-blue ices. He had also grown taller over the summer, standing a head taller than Kairi and I won't even start with me!

"Roxas!" Kairi beamed and embraced him. I would have embraced him there had I not been drooling over his handsomeness. I mean, I seriously needed to snap out of it. Roxas was dating that nerdy kid, Olette.

"Where's Ventus?" I stammered with a shaky voice. Kairi raised an eyebrow with darkness in her eyes. I thought raising a question about Roxa's twin could steer them away from my shameful ogling but I thought wrong.

Roxas shrugged. "Probably still in bed. You know what he's like, always lazing around and ditching classes."

I nodded stupidly, all the while staring at how his lips were moving. A rather stupid mental image flashed through my mind of me kissing my best friend under the moonlight with rose petals flying over us- Snap out of it Naminé, you dope! He's in the swimming club and library club. You're only a geeky kid with a few paintbrushes and awful looks!

"Shall we get going to school?" Kairi suggested.

* * *

Everyone was bustling into the classroom when we reached school. Our school wasn't that big since Traverse Town wasn't that huge so classes only had about twenty students per year. It didn't cause a big problem because everyone knew each other well enough.

Just then, Kairi grabbed my arm and a faint red hue that matched her hair danced across her face. I turned to gaze at her object of observation. Riku was sitting not far from us with his usual gang of rugby players. His slivery hair glinted in the falling sunlight and his shiny green eyes were almost glowing. He had the sleeves of his cardigan always rolled up to show off his well toned muscles and there was no other boy that matched his height. In every single girl's point of view; Riku was perfection.

His best friend Hayner was throwing paper planes around the place. Although not as good looking as Riku, Hayner was the second most popular boy among the girls. Unfortunately for their fans, both boys were already dating someone. Riku was dating the raven-haired beauty and diva, Xion Fair and as I expected, she was sitting next to him. Hayner was going out with Selphie Tilmitt, another beauty.

I'm telling you, those girls had everything: The money, the looks, the happy family etc, etc. Their perfect lives seriously wanted to make me cry at most times over my not-so-perfect life. I wasn't too head over heels about their boyfriends though, I mean, sure they were handsome and awesome rugby players but their attitude never really intrigued me.

"Give it up Kairi; Riku and Xion have been dating for two years now. I wouldn't be surprised if they get engaged soon," I said, rolling my eyes. Kairi scowled and folded her arms.

"Geez, Nam, you won't even give me some moral support or say 'Kairi, you should go for it!' or something like that!" she snapped and tapped my head lightly. I fixed a strand of hair that fell out of my bun behind my ear. (Roxas was too busy listening to his brunette girlfriend to notice what we were going on about but I was secretly throwing them painful looks and wishing how Olette's soul would swap places with mine.)

A wandering paper plane made out of card-paper wacked me in the eye quite suddenly. Kairi gasped when I yelped in pain. I curled onto the floor, spraining a palm over my watery eye.

"Hayner, look what you did, you freak! You're not meant to be throwing paper across the classrooms!" I heard Kairi yell. Hayner chuckled above me and I felt strong arms hold me around the waist before pulling me up.

"Let me take a look at that," he said, pulling my hand away from my face. Suddenly, Roxas got off from his chair and pushed him away.

"Don't touch her," he exclaimed. Hayner backed away and glared coldly.

Uh...Did I mention that Roxas and Hayner were best friends a few years ago? No? Okay, I will mention it now. Roxas and Hayner were best friends at one stage but they fell out-badly. Roxas never told us why. Kairi always tried to interrogate him into telling us but he didn't slip a word. They never talked to each other much and preferred not to make contact but I guess, Roxas was angry that I got hurt...Or did he feel jealous that Hayner touched me?-As if Naminé! Dream on!

Both of the boys glared at one another as if they were having a glaring competition. Luckily for the rest of us, Xion and Selphie chided in with their bubbly personalities to end the awkward moment.

"You two stop being such thickheads on the first day back to school!" Xion chuckled while Selphie held Hayner's arm and pulled him back towards his seat.

"You okay?" A short, stout boy named Pence asked. I nodded and wiped away the sore tears that formed in my now red eye. Poor Pence, always so worried for Hayner and Roxas; he doesn't know which group to hang out with since he was caught in the middle of their fight.

"What an absolute jerk," Kairi protested as I dabbed my sore eye with tissue, "Just wait till lunch time while I give him a piece of my mind!"

"Kairi, just leave it, it doesn't matter," I murmured while Olette was busy snogging Roxas in the corner to cheer him up. A monstrous claw twisted the insides of my stomach. Fortunately Mr. Leonhart stepped into the classroom. Leon was a handsome young man who loved wearing a biker jacket. He was the girls' favourite teacher for the obvious reasons.

Looks like he was our tutor for the year? Leon slumped into the teacher's chair and looked through the roll-book, his eyebrows furrowed in fury as usual.

"Seifer Almasy?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh...Naminé Bunansa?"

"Here..."

"Xion Fair?"

"Yeah!"

"Sora Gainsborough?"

"...Here..."

Our heads immediately turned to the corner to face a spiky haired brunette with large periwinkle blue eyes. He was so hidden in the corner and so quiet that we didn't notice him there before. I've never seen Sora around before. I guessed he was a new transfer student. Poor thing had to see Hayner and Roxa's silent enmity.

He caught my eye as Leon kept calling out the rest of the names. I immediately looked away. Kairi smirked beside me.

"He's cute, isn't he?" she whispered.

"Huh? But you hardly know him, Kairi," I whispered back.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "I meant his looks!"

"Kairi Oerba, out of the classroom! I will not tolerate any talking in here! If 's looks matter to you so much then talk to him at lunch time!" Leon yelled, making us both jump. Kairi's face was a red as a tomato as she slowly had to leave her seat in humiliation and follow Leon's pointing finger outside the room.

* * *

We clustered out of the classroom when the bell rang. Kairi joined me; her face was still glowing red.

"Oh my gosh...Riku had to see that!" she hissed. I sighed and surveyed my timetable. Faith class and Level Up class were always compulsory. We did meditation exercises to strengthen our hearts in order to escape from the clutches of darkness. The other six subjects I chose were Arts and Crafts (You may guess why), magic, applied magic and science. I frowned when I realised we still had to do sports in our final year.

"Awh, Nam, why didn't you pick History? Zexion teaches that!" Olette said. I rolled my eyes. I was starting to have this weird antipathy towards her. It wasn't right to hate her just because she's Roxa's girlfriend but I couldn't help but despise her! Oh light and darkness...

"Zexion is a creepy guy. He's so passionate about the Keyblade War, it frightens me," Kairi shuddered, wrapping her arms over herself.

"Okay, I'll see you both later," I waved and headed towards my first class which was applied magic. There were very few people in this class, in-fact there were only seven. I sat down on a table and waited for Merlin the wizard to arrive. Soon, the other students made their way to their desks.

Riku and Hayner sat in the back and instantly began making their paper planes again. Xion and Selphie sat in a row in front of them. Xion was reapplying her Georgio Armani foundation. Tidus and Wakka, the school's best swimmers joined there side of the classroom. Selphie looked at me. She whispered something to the others and they all sniggered. I was used to their comments by now. They considered me a nerd and a loner since I got the highest grades for this class and I always finished my homework on time.

"Hey...Could I sit beside you?" A timid voice broke me from my thoughts. I glanced up at the new kid with the spiky hair. His eyes were so large and blue that I was sure anyone would fall into them if they stared for too long. For some reason, his eyes reminded me of Roxas...

I blushed and nodded. He grinned cheerfully and hopped in the seat next to mine.

"I'm Sora," he greeted, extending his hand. I stared at his hand and then his never-ending grin.

"And I'm Naminé, nice to meet you Sora," I smiled back, "So where are you from?"

"Destiny Islands," Sora removed the Applied Magic book from his bag. It had a neat cover of Winnie the Pooh, "I like it here though. My mum was offered a job so we moved out."

"Oh, that's very nice. Do you miss your old home?" I said, turning over a page to examine the next chapter.

"No, I like it here. There's a lot more places to explore," he said turning to me. He eyed me in a strange way that made the hair on the back of my neck tingle. I glanced at him and raised my eyebrow.

"Uh...You have beautiful eyes, Naminé," Sora suddenly blurted. I blushed intensely. How could he suggest something like that? No boy had ever said that to me and he it said so openly! He sure had a lot of guts speaking about my eyes when we only knew each other for two minutes. To make things worse, I heard laughter coming from behind me. Sora turned to the direction of the 'popular kids'.

"They're weird," he whispered.

"You have no idea..." I gritted my teeth. My face and neck were already hot from embarrassment. Thank King Mickey that Merlin arrived.

"Welcome back class! For a few weeks we will be focusing on the concepts of thermodynamics in magic," he said, waving his arms in the air.

"Thermo-what?" Hayner groaned.

"Dynamics!" Merlin chuckled, his smile barely noticeable behind his long, bushy beard. It was my turn to laugh at those behind me.

* * *

When the bell rang, I rushed out of the classroom, completely ignoring Sora for the embarrassing situation he left me in earlier. I caught up with Roxas, Kairi and to my irration, Olette.

We sat in the front as usual. Kairi sat next to me while Olette sat beside Roxas. I was surprised to see Roxas' twin brother Ventus arrive. He sat next to Alice Wonderland to avoid Riku's crowd. Ventus looked a lot like Roxas except his eyes were a bit lighter in colour and he had a more genial personality.

Mulan was our teacher for this class. I always admired her intelligent way of teaching. Science was my second favourite subject after Arts and Crafts.

"Okay team listen up!" she said, eyes focused in concentration, "This year, we'll be having a competition of scientific experiments! I will put up the names of partners up on the corridor later on this week."

My heart suddenly skipped a beat. I crossed my fingers under the desk and hoped that Roxas was my partner for this year. Mulan resumed teaching us about the circulatory system.

* * *

Today was a half day so after Princess Belle finished our lesson for Faith class, I swung my backpack over my back and walked home with Roxas, Kairi and Ventus. Good for me, Olette takes the train to Twilight Town. She moved there years ago but her heart remained here in Traverse Town and since she's such a daddy's girl, her father couldn't bear to see his baby cry and let her travel by train across the cosmos to go to school here.

"Ventus did you miss your first class?" Kairi chided in. Ventus' eyes grew larger on his face. He quickly ran ahead to avoid talking to us.

"That was weird," I said. I knew that Ventus was a social person just like his brother, but he didn't mind our company.

"Dunno really, he's been acting like that since last week," Roxas grunted, placing his hands into his pockets.

"We should get to the bottom of it!" Kairi did a little jump and curled her fingers into her palm determinately. I glanced at the many houses we passed and spotted my one. It surprised me sometimes how we humans can spot our house even though every house in the estate looked the same.

"Yeah, we can do that but I'll see you both tomorrow at school," I waved goodbye and snatched my keys from my skirt pocket. Mum was probably still at work because her car wasn't at the front lawn.

When I entered the hallway, I froze in my spot. Rustling and the sound of breaking glass came from the kitchen. Was there a thief in my house?

**Diary:**

So you're probably wondering how my little love story progressed? I'll come to that part later. First I have a few things to tell you about before I talk about the four boys that will change my time in school!

**Preview of next chapter:**

_Kairi and I stopped talking when we heard weeping coming from one of the toilet cubicles. The door of it suddenly opened and we saw Xion stare at us with puffy eyes._

"_Riku..."she stammered._


	2. Passing Notes

**A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. :) **

* * *

I froze in my spot because the sound of rustling and breaking glass came from the kitchen. My heart pounded inside my chest so hard that I was sure it would burst out of my body. I grabbed the nearest object- a vase and lumbered my way into the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, I kicked open the door, throwing my vase at the intruder.

A yelp followed, and a young man fell, sprawled across the floor when the vase nearly hit his head. My expression softened and I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Demyx? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in college?" I asked. My brother immediately got off the ground and placed a finger on my lips.

"Not now, baby sister!" He resumed fumbling through the cupboards. I stood there and watched him, confusion mingling with logic.

"I don't understand? Are you looking for something?" I said, placing my arms akimbo on my hips. Demyx ignored me and continued searching for whatever he was looking for. He slammed the last cupboard and yelled in frustration, pulling his hair with both hands.

"Where did it go!" he gasped and began searching though the cupboards again with more vigour. I felt something suspicious was going on. Mum will have to hear about this.

"Where did 'what' go?" I said; my voice harsh and cold. He ignored me again and kicked a drawer back in place.

"Okay baby sister, I'll talk with you later," he ruffled my hair and made his way out. I followed him instantly.

"Demyx! Wait!" I cried but my brother hopped onto his motorbike that was parked across the road and drove off. I watched his figure disappear into the distance. Something in my heart told me that he was not at ease. I shook the feeling aside.

* * *

My phone buzzed as I studied thermodynamics, my mind was fuzzy from trying so hard. I was ashamed to notice that I couldn't grasp the simple rules of this subject. I preferred all the combustion chapters of fire or else the freezing point and density of ice and water.

Throwing my book aside, I checked my phone. There was a message from Kairi.

*_Hey, wanna meet up? - Xxx*_: Kairi

_*Sorry, have so much applied mag hw*: Me_

_*What? Homework on the first day? No fair!- xxx*: Kairi_

_*I know*: Me_

_* Okay nam, c u tomorrow*: Kairi_  
I resumed my attempts at the thermodynamic questions, my eyebrows furrowed in concentration but I couldn't help think about my deluded brother. He's been evading the house ever since he returned to college a month before. This was his final year; he should be in his bedroom and studying! It definitely wasn't fair on Mom after all the money she spent on getting him extra tuition for college.

What worried me the most was that he seemed to be in some sort of trouble and what was he looking for- oh so desperately- in the kitchen?

* * *

I met up with Kairi and to my heart's delight- Roxas- the following morning. As usual, Ventus was nowhere to be seen.

"How's Ven?" I asked with genuine concern. I forgot about his bizarre attitude towards us the day before thanks to Demyx freaking me out. Roxas shrugged and stared at the floor. I noticed he had dark circles underneath his beautiful eyes and a lump formed in my throat. I had never seen him so miserable before.

"Dunno. He wasn't in his bedroom this morning. Mom and Father are getting worried about him.." he replied. I placed my hand on his shoulder (It was normal! I always did that to cheer someone up! But yeah, my hand was shaky!), and applied pressure. Kairi watched us for a minute before looking ahead at the alley to the Third District.

"Roxas, if you ever need help to find out what's going on with Ven then I..." I paused because Kairi glanced at me again and my cheeks flushed, "I meant to say- Kairi and I will be there for you."

Roxas simply nodded to my disappointment. I didn't say anything after that and still felt Kairi's eyes piercing through my facade. Oh King Mickey! Why was she staring at me like that?

The sound of a car's horn perturbed me from my thoughts. I turned to see Riku stepping out of a convertible BMW. His three handsome brothers- Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz- were sitting there. They always gave him a lift to school if they started college or work late that day. Yazoo was in the same course as my brother and both were graduating this year. It hit me then that I should ask Yazoo if he found anything suspicious going on with Demyx but to talk to him I have to talk to Riku...And to talk to Riku meant that I had to embarrass myself in front of the whole school.

Kairi gasped and placed her hands over her mouth. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey Naminé," a voice made me jump. Riku caught up with us, holding a gear bag for his rugby practice. Roxas tensed beside me. He never acknowledged Riku but he didn't trust any of Hayner's friends.

"Oh...Riku, what makes you want to talk to us?" I said, pretending to sound as uninterested as I could in order to please my beloved Roxas. Riku wasn't affected by my lack of enthusiasm.

"I just want to apologise for laughing at you in the Applied Magic class. I never meant to, it's just that Xion likes to pick on smart people," he chuckled. Kairi's skin was diffusing into a bright pink colour and I widened my eyes in surprise. Roxas grunted between us.

"Oh right...That, you didn't had to remind me," I said, waving a hand in the air dismissively. Riku flashed us a smile that revealed his pearly white teeth.

"So, I'm forgiven?"he asked. Kairi held her breath. I admit, that sounded so wrong. Wrong in a way as in the guy dating me.

"Umh...Yeah?" I said rather stupidly. He clasped a hand over mine which made me squeal like a pig. Great job Naminé- you're officially the town's pig now!

"So... Could I borrow your Applied Magic homework?"

"What?" Roxas and I gasped simultaneously. Unfortunately Riku and his gang of rugby minions did that alot and I was the stupid fool in the class that couldn't say no. This time was no different. I agreed to let Riku copy my homework out of mere hope that he wouldn't make fun of me again in Applied Magic. When he left, Roxas turned to give me a cold glare.

"Smooth Naminé, real smooth. You can't even deny him such a simple thing? He'll get marks for no reason because of _your_ hard work."

"I agree with Roxas," Kairi intervened. I stopped walking, my shoulders slumped. Roxas let out a sigh as if he was annoyed and told- no..._Ordered_ Kairi to follow him and leave me behind. What could I do at that moment?

I felt as if the ground was crumbling beneath me. Roxas just abandoned me like that. I knew it hurt him to watch the enemy kids get high marks because I willingly give them my homework...And let them copy my exam answers. My vision grew misty as tears rolled down my cheeks

* * *

Luckily, I had Arts and Crafts for the first class so I didn't have to face Roxas and Kairi again. Marluxia was our teacher and he absolutely adored my art. Some say that I'm his favourite student. I was late for the class due to crying in the bathroom. I usually sit with Alice and Pence but Vivi had taken my seat.

That was odd; Vivi usually sits beside Roo and Fuu in art class. The kid was a Seifer Almasy worshipper! What dismayed me the most was that I had to sit beside Sora. Great...Just great...The boy who embarrassed me in yesterday's Applied Magic class.

Sora grinned widely when I took my seat. His smile faded away instantly when he looked at my eyes. He leaned forward to talk but Marluxia entered the classroom.

The pink-haired teacher danced his way to the board and advised us that we needed to practice sketching some objects to let our fingers get used to art again. He placed different objects at each table. Sora and I had to draw a pair of lipsticks, some onions and a pile of withered books.

I commenced drawing when Sora cleared his throat to grab my attention. I ignored him until he nudged my arm. Surprised, I found a note beside me. I dropped my pencil and un-wrapped the piece of paper.

'_Were you crying?_': Sora

I glanced at him in disbelief. He didn't smile back but stared at me solemnly in such a way that tears were springing in my eyes again. He reached into his bag and pulled out a clean handkerchief that was embroidered with silver hearts and golden lilies. I took the hanky and wiped my eyes. He passed me another note.

'_It's okay, you can blow your nose with it too'_: Sora

So I blew my nose with it-Eew...Thankfully, the hanky was clean but his kindness really touched me.

"Oh great," I said with a laugh, "I've got my cooties all over this."

"Don't worry about it, Naminé. You can keep that one. My Mom makes loads of these for me at home," he smiled. His eyes twinkled in a way that reminded me of Roxas' eyes.

"Thanks Sora..."

**Notes sent during Art class behind Marluxia's back:**

Sora_: How're you feeling now?_

Me_: Better. Thanks again for the hanky. I promise to wash it and give it back to you later._

Sora_: It doesn't matter. Why were you crying?_

Me_: I don't want to talk about it._

Sora_: Sharing the burden makes the load lighter_.

Sora: _Care to share?_

Sora_: Really, Namin__é__. What happened?_

Sora: _Okay, okay. I'm sorry for asking. _

Me_: Good_.

Sora: _If you ever need anyone to talk to. I'll be there._

Sora: _Sorry, I meant if you ever need someone to help take the load off your shoulders, I don't mind to do it._

Sora_: Sorry, I'm really stupid with words._

Me_: That's okay_.

Sora: _Looking forward to Applied Magic after lunch?_

Me: _Yes._

Sora: _Thermodynamics is hard! What do you think of it?_

Me_: I know; same here._

Sora: _I like Merlin. He's a swell guy._

Me_: I know. He's like my daddy in school._

Me: _So what do your parents work as?_

Sora_: My Mom is a magic teacher. She'll be teaching here._

Me_: And your dad?_

Sora_: Haven't got one._

Me_: Sorry I asked, I didn't know._

Sora: _No sweat. What about your parents?_

Me_: My Mum is a fashion designer and Dad is an air force pilot._

Sora_: Awesome_ _family._

Me: _Thanks._

Sora: _Can I tell you something if you don't mind?_

Me: _Sure._

Sora: _You're eyes are the prettiest I've ever seen._

Sora: _I mean that in a non-romantic way._

Sora: _Are you angry on me again?_

Sora: _Okay, okay, I'm sorry._

Sora_: Oh please don't ignore me again Namin__é__!_

Marluxia: _I would stop writing more notes if I were you and get some work done._

* * *

When the bell rang, I packed my bag hastily and ran out of the classroom, ignoring Sora's pleas for forgiveness. It wasn't I found his compliments irritating...It's just...I was afraid if he would end up taking Roxas' place...As if that would ever happen!

But the thought of seeing Roxas and I together was very a slim chance. He loves Olette too much to break up with her and he hates my goody-goody attitude towards everyone. I'm no more than a friend to him but I can't take him out of my mind!

I was about to kick a locker out of frustration when I heard a small yelp in a corridor close to mine. I turned to the source and found Seifer holding Vivi's collar with his arm extended and fingers curled into his palm. He was ready to punch the magic genius. They glanced at me and Seifer immediately released Vivi, fixing the latter's collar.

"Is there a problem here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Beat it squirt. It ain't any of your darned business. Me and Vivi here were just playing a game, _right_ Vivi?"

"Y-yes! J-just a game!" Vivi huffed.

"For some reason, Almasy, I'm not buying this," I shook my head and folded my arms across my chest. Seifer grunted and pushed me out of the way, leaving me alone with Vivi. I turned to the mage with the pointed hat.

"Vivi, is everything okay with you? You could always talk to someone if Seifer is bullying you."

Vivi let out a nervous laugh."Ridiculous Naminé! Why would my awesome hero bully me? Me thinks you are imagining thing."

He feigned a more hearted laugh and walked off to the next class.

I wasn't one to interfere into other people's problems but I never liked to leave people in despair. Something was happening between Vivi and Seifer, I could sense it.

* * *

At lunch time, I left Leon's Level-Up class last because I was dreading to sit with Roxas and Kairi. When I stepped into the cafeteria, I found them sitting with Olette. They glanced at me before turning back to their food. I walked over to Pence and Alice.

"Hey, mind if I sit down?" I asked, my eyes avoiding a glance in their direction. They looked at each other first. Pence smiled warmly and pulled over a chair for me to sit down on.

We talked about our first full day back to school. I kept an eye out for Kairi and Roxas. Kairi got up from her chair and walked over to me.

"Nam, we need to talk. Let's head over to the bathroom," she said, pulling my arm and made her way to the girls' toilets. I was too astonished to react but Kairi was always the one to reconcile any fights.

"Roxas wants to apologise."

"Then why did he send you as his messenger?" I folded my arms stubbornly. Kairi shook her head and patted my head.

"Nam, you know how harsh Roxas can be but that's just the way he is. He was right though, you need to toughen yourself up! We will fix that. I promise to never let Roxas give out to you again," she smiled and crossed her heart. Her honesty gained my trust and I returned the smile. We embraced each other until a piercing sob escaped from one of the toilets. Kairi raised a brow at me. I shrugged and we both stared at the toilet cubicle. The door swung open and a puffy eyed Xion stared at us.

"Riku..." she sobbed, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. I had to admit, I was concerned as well as curious. What happened between them that Xion was here without her Barbie gang to comfort her?

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked, handing some tissue to the raven haired girl. Xion pushed her arm away and glared.

"Stay away from me you losers!" she shrieked.

"Tch, fine! I was only trying to help," Kairi muttered through gritted teeth. I touched her arm to calm her down. I understood that Xion's temper was very fragile at a time like this.

"Xion, we could help you if you need some," I began, extending a hand towards her which she slapped away. Her face contorted in pure fury that I pictured flames behind her pupils.

"If you want to help me then keep your ugly asses away from me and tell Riku that he's a bastard!" she yelled and locked herself in the bathroom again. Kairi and I stood there, wide-eyed as she resumed crying in the cubicle. We walked out slowly where Riku awaited anxiously.

"Xion! Is she in there?" he asked.

"Hah, yeah and she's in an awful mood," Kairi said rolling her eyes, "Let's go Nam."

I wanted to leave but Xion's attitude was like a cry for help. I just hoped that Riku wasn't annoying her or forcing her to do something she didn't want to.

"You better apologise to Xion for whatever reason she's crying," I said coldly. Riku flinched at my harsh glare.

"No, you both don't understand...Xion is a crazy girl-"

"How dare you blame the girl, you big buffalo!" I screamed, raising my hand to slap him. Why did boys always blame the girls? I didn't mean to sound so sexist but this is what I meant when I said I didn't like Riku's attitude. Luckily for him, Kairi pulled me back.

Riku looked ready to cry when we returned to the cafeteria.

**Diary:**

Yeah, today wasn't that great for me but at least Roxas and I became friends again after the Xion and Riku incident. I genuinely want to know what happened between them...

**Preview for next chapter:**

"_As honour to Prince Adam and Princess Belle, I've made a list of everyone's role for the play: Beauty and the Beast," Squall stated in his usual monotone voice. Everyone gathered around the list at the notice-board._

"_Nam! You have to play Princess Belle! And I'm Mrs. Teapot! How annoying..." Kairi sighed. I smacked a hand on my forehead. Why did stupid Leon choose me to play for Princess Belle? Heck, I wasn't a brunette!_

"_Gaston? Me? You gotta be kidding..." Hayner muttered. I checked to see who Prince Adam was._

_My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. The role of Prince Adam will be played by..._


	3. He Likes Me

I squirmed in my bed, unable to sleep. Sighing, I glanced at my glow-in-the-dark alarm clock.

"It's past midnight and I can't sleep..." I murmured to myself. Homework had taken me ages today and I avoided talking with Sora during Applied Magic after we passed notes in Art class. What bothered me right now was Roxas kissing Olette when we were walking home. That image was stuck in my mind like glue on paper. I didnt know why I couldn't erase this image from my mind, I mean; I was so tired right now to be thinking anything.

Level Up class with Leon was tough because we all had to use a sword and do a few duel moves (which I sucked at...Badly.). Surprisingly to everyone, Sora was almost as good as Riku in that class so Leon changed his Art class to Duelling class with Master Terra. Lucky for me...

A knock on my door perturbed me from my thoughts. I sat up. "Come in!"

The door opened and my Mom entered holding her Valentine's teddy bear, wearing her nightdress.

"I can't sleep," she said tiredly. I patted on the space beside me. She snuggled into the bed sheets.

"I miss Balthier..." Mom whispered. The moonlight glimmered through the window and cascaded over her silhouette form. My Mom's large eyes were brimming with tears she was trying to hide. How was it that she was so beautiful yet her daughter was...Not so pretty?

"I miss him too, Mom but he's coming back in the weekend," I reassured. We lay side by side on the bed, staring at each other while the world slept. Mom brushed a strand of hair away from my face and gave me a small smile.

"You're such a strong girl, Naminé. Sometimes, I wish Demyx was a bit more like you," she said, "I am proud to have such a practical daughter."

"Mom!" I rolled my eyes, "Enough with the cheesy talk, now hush and get some sleep." I patted her short blonde hair and spread the bed sheet over her frail body before snuggling next to her.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Come on Naminé! Can't you throw a ball!" Sai'x, our sports teacher, screamed. Unfortunately, he had to be our darned P.E. teacher and we had to play basketball- regardless of how short we were. I tried to dribble with the ball but it rolled away from me like some melted goo. I groaned in frustration.

"Here, this is how you do it!" Selphie sniggered and chased after my runaway basketball. She scooped it with ease and dribbled to the hoop before bouncing into the air and somersaulting, throwing the darned ball into the hoop. My classmates stopped their attempts at dribbling and cheered.

"Woohoo! Go Selphie!" Hayner whistled. Many of his rugby friends joined in with the clapping. Selphie stood at the end of the hall, waving her hand like a princess and blowing kisses to her swooning fans. I folded my arms angrily.

"She's annoying," Olette said beside me. Great, now she had joined me too? Could my day go from bad to worse?

"Hey there Naminé..." I turned to face a spiky haired brunette staring timidly at the floor. It was Sora.

"I'll leave you two alone," Olette winked and ran off to Roxas. Scratch off the last part, my day just got worse.

"What is it?" I snapped. He flinched and grinned nervously before resting his hands on the back of his head.

"Whoa, you're in a bad mood today. Did you not get any sleep or something last night?" he mocked. I scowled at the honesty of his words. If I wasn't so tired right now, I would have leapt on him and pulled his hair until he begged for mercy. Instantly, my eyes searched for Roxas who was passing the ball over to Ven and Olette was trying to catch it off of them. She tackled Roxas playfully and they fell over in a huddle. Kairi laughed beside them. My sour frown seeped lower down my face.

"Hey, you okay?" Sora said suddenly that I jumped. He stared at me in a bizarre way.

"Toilet!" I screamed and ran out of the hall. Okay, what the heck did I just do? Did Sora realise me ogling at Roxas? I hope not.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I pushed the door aside and clutched the edges of the sink, shivering with anger. I know, I know, this was not healthy for me but damn that Roxas for looking so handsome and turning my hormones on a rampage.

I froze when I heard a sob escape from one of the cubicles. Daringly, I opened the door aside and found Xion sitting on the toilet cubicle- for you perverts out there, her tracksuit bottom was still on her!

Xion looked miserable, she didn't have her make-up on and neither did she have her hair straightened today. Her hands were covering her face.

"Umh...Xion? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Go away! Now!" she yelled. Xion stood up and slammed the door of the cubicle shut, separating us and getting my poor baby finger caught in the hinge. I shrieked in agony and sucked on my finger to alleviate the pain but tears flowed down my eyes.

"I was only trying to help! You've been in this smelly toilet since yesterday!" I cried and turned the tap on to wash away the blood on my finger.

"Just shut the hell up Naminé! I want to be alone! And if I need any help, I'll never ask _you_ for it!" Xion's muffled voice uttered from the door. I don't know; I left her to cry there. What would you have done if you were in my situation? She was clearly adamant and too proud to admit she needed serious therapy.

Why was she crying? I pondered on my way back to the P.E. hall. Did she and Riku have a break-up? She's a sore loser if she's crying over that.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I joined Kairi, Roxas, Olette (Grrgh!) and Ventus for lunch.

"Anyone know what's up with Xion?"

My mentioned subject wasn't in the cafeteria because she was collected by her father, Zack Fair during Xemnas' magic class.

"Why are you even interested?" Roxas said harshly, glaring at me with his icy blue eyes. Alright, that was like a flinging a stone at my bare heart. I even clutched on my chest from his words and my right eye cringed from the impact. Kairi watched me in that mysterious way again.

"She's been crying in the toilet for King Mickey knows how long!" I defended myself, slamming my bowl of soup on the table.

"Calm down Nam, it's just Roxas," Ven chuckled and patted my shoulder. I relaxed into my chair. Roxas raised a brow and wore an amused grin.

"Geesh Nam-IN-Eh, why are you such a sour-puss today?" he jeered. Olette punched him in the arm. He winced and glanced at her with a puppy-dog expression that would have made me evaporate from my clothes had I not been raging with ire right now. Olette giggled to my fury, and ran her fingers through his hair reassuringly.

"Okay, Nam, I'm sorry. Take a chill pill," Roxas said, fully...Energised after his head massage.

"Hey, do you think she and Riku broke up?" Kairi intervened with a huge grin plastered on her face, "Awesome! This means that I have a chance to ask him out!"

Ventus suddenly fell off his chair. We all broke into laughter when he stood up rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"K-Kairi, since when did you like Riku?" he stammered, avoiding looking at us. Kairi was still laughing, her face now red.

"If you didn't miss so many classes then you would have known a long time ago!" She quipped, clutching her stomach. Ventus blushed and sat back on his seat, twiddling his thumbs all the while until we didn't find his accident funny anymore.

I realised I was still laughing, I know, I shouldn't have but I found comfort in someone else's misery for once. Ven stared at me pleadingly but I couldn't stop. He eventually excused himself and walked off to where Pence, Alice and Sora were.

"Naminé!" Roxas glared daggers at me that stopped my ridiculous giggles. I stared at the ground, ashamed of not being able to control myself. Even Kairi shook her head in dismay.

"Come on, you guys, give her a break!" Olette intervened which surprised me alot. She grinned at me and winked. Roxas relaxed once more in his seat. He glanced at Ven's direction for a moment before striving to finish his meal.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

We had level up class again- to my shame, Ventus wasn't there. Surely he didn't take the laughter drama seriously? What was up with that kid anyway?

Olette sat beside me which made me flinch. I watched Kairi sit with Roxas. She flashed me a smile and her eyes riveted to a silver-haired boy sitting by himself at the window, away from his usual mob of rugby players and Barbie girls. Riku had one hand resting on his chin, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

Olette cleared her throat to get my attention. I turned to her and forced a smile.

"Nam, I was wondering if you could come over to my house tomorrow afternoon?" she suggested. I nearly choked on my own saliva and my eyes were ready to fall out of their sockets.

"I...Uh-I..."

"Well?"

"I-I...I have to ask my Mom first," I stuttered. Olette sighed, she wasn't buying this. I've been to her house before but that was with Roxas and Kairi.

"You see, my Dad is coming home this weekend and I...I have to organise a welcome home party for him!" I lied. Olette's face brightened up. Her chocolate curls jingled as she nodded enthusiastically

"Cool! Can I help?"

"NO!"

"...What?"

"I-I meant..." Okay, I seriously needed a good smack in the face right now. What was up with me today?

"I meant, it's only a family party, nothing more." My fake smile spread wider. I think I managed to fool Olette but there was no way I'd go to her house, knowing that she was Roxas' girlfriend. She could end up getting hurt...

Leon came later and we resumed some lessons using staffs this time after clearing the room of the tables and chairs. I was much better with the staff than a sword- mainly because staffs were magical weapons and I seemingly mastered magic classes to the best of my ability. However, only one person surpassed my skills. A flame of Firaga danced across the room. The whole class glanced at the source_...Sora_. How in Kingdom Heart's name did he learn Firaga? I was proud enough to have mastered Fire!

Leon lowered his own staff; his usual hardened expression was now blooming with shock.

"So what are you? Some kind of child prodigy?" he muttered. Sora rubbed his head, confused.

"What's that?" he asked genuinely. Leon blinked a few times.

"I don't know," he replied. Obviously, we all suppressed our giggles. No one dared to laugh in Leon's class or else he'd make you do push-ups for the rest of the period. When we resumed our training in the hall, I scrambled my way to Sora. His eyes twinkled at the sight of me.

"Hey Naminé!"

"Who taught you how to do that?" I pried.

"My mother- I told you, she's a magic teacher."

"Oh..."

"I could show you how to do it if you like!" he suddenly blurted out. A silence filled us and I saw a blush dance across his cheeks.

"Sora! That was just amazing! Could you teach me how to do that?" Roxas was by our side and my heart fluttered in my chest. Hmm...You could guess what I was planning.

"That's a brilliant idea Sora! Do teach us!" I encouraged.

"Really?" Sora said nervously and rubbed the back of his hair. Roxas and I nodded our heads. We saw the rugby gang glower at us.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;;;

So, wasn't this just wonderful? Sora had agreed to teach us fire magic during the weekends but that's not why I'm happy. I'm happy because Olette will be in Twilight Town over the weekend so it'll be only me and Roxas...Oh wait, Kairi and Sora will be there too but who cares! No Olette! No one smooching _my _Roxas! I was in such a great mood that I decided to risk it during Leon's class and text Ven.

'_Hey Ventus, I'm sorry for laughing at you earlier. You didn't have to leave school because of it.'_: Me

My phone buzzed instantly. The poor guy must have been distraught.

'_Everything's no prob, nam. I left school coz I didn't want to go the geo class.'_: Ven

I raised a brow. Everyone who took up Geography loved it because Kairi's brother, Axel was a groovy teacher. Roxas enjoyed that class the most out of all his subjects. It was strange that Ventus was avoiding it. I mean, Axel was a role model!

'_Is Axel annoying you or something?_': Me.

'_Nah, it's just me. I hate geo ig'_: Ven.

My eyes squinted at the text screen. He had a weird way of texting sometimes.

'_Ig?':_ Me

'_In general.'_: Ven

'_Do you by any chance have a prob with Kairi?'_: Me

Looks like I hit a sore spot. Ven stopped replying and I waited for a dull ten minutes, escaping from Leon's malignant glares. The class suddenly erupted in applause. I surveyed the hall and saw Sora standing at the end, grinning shyly.

Great, what did the _wonder_-kid do this time? I turned my attention back to the phone but Ven wasn't texting back at all. Hmm...Well, I know Kairi was a one cause of this enigma.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

We gathered around Leon after the class. He was holding a check-board in his hand. His usual biker jacket was off, revealing his neat vest and gorgeous biceps. The Barbie girls will never wipe this scene from their dirty little minds.

"Okay...The rugby team has a match this Friday...I expect everyone to show up and support them after school. Now scuttle," he said rather dismissively and waved a hand at the door, sighing in boredom. Typical Leon...But just as we were leaving he called us back again.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Princess Belle and Prince Adam are celebrating their anniversary in the Enchanted Castle so I've picked a role for everyone to participate in the play: Beauty and the Beast, as tribute to Their Highnesses," he explained in the same monotonous voice. A groan erupted through the crowd. I felt the insides of my stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot. He chose roles without any auditions! Typical Leon...

The class scurried to the notice board in the entrance hall after the bell rang.

"Hey look Naminé! You have to play Belle! Lucky!...I'm Mrs. Teapot! Was Leon blindfolded or something when he was picking out roles?" Kairi protested angrily. I rolled my eyes. Great, so I have to play for Princess Belle and I'm not even a brunette! Typical Leon...

"Maybe he picked the names out of a hat!" Seifer jeered and chuckled. His smile faltered when he looked at the list, "Maurice? You mean...I have to be Nami-Nerd's dad!"

It was our turn to laugh this time. Seifer in a fatherly role? Maybe Leon did pick names out of a hat. My heart skipped a beat when I glanced at the list again. Hayner was Gaston-Belle's stalker...Riku had to play for the Beast...But Prince Adam was...

Roxas.

My eyes blinked to make sure this wasn't an illusion. No...

Prince Adam was Roxas.

"Hey! This is great! Nam and Roxas got leading roles," Olette stated and clapped her hands in joy. I was surprised that she wasn't angry about this. Sora pushed his way through the crowd. He frowned in disappointment.

"I don't have a role..." he sighed, staring at the tiled floor.

"Awh...Don't worry Sora, you could always help out...Like clean our shoes!" Seifer teased. I glared at him. That was pure mean.

In a way, I was glad that Sora didn't get a role. At least I could practice my kiss scene with Roxas in peace. Wait...Did Sora have a crush on me? Is that why I'm trying to avoid him? I should have picked it up when we first met.

My gray eyes met his sky blue ones. We stared at each other as the rest of the crowd moved around us. I could have sworn that time stopped between us and if I wasn't so head over heels about Roxas, I would have admitted to something I never said before...Sora had beautiful eyes. He had a lovely smile. He had a great heart. He had a handsome face but...He was just Sora. He wasn't Roxas.

And Roxas was Roxas. He was the boy I adored.

I stopped staring at Sora and turned to the person that really mattered in my life.

"So...We have play to Belle and Adam," I chuckled nervously. Roxas gave me a sardonic smile and ruffled my hair. I know my heart was beating like a drum after that contact.

"We'll pull it off! Hey Sora, let's head to Duelling before Terra kicks our hides," he said. Sora flashed him a wide grin.

"See you later, Naminé," Sora whispered. He pointed at my blushing cheeks and let out a humourless laugh before following Roxas to the courtyard.

**Diary:**

What is this nonsense that's going on with me? I love Roxas. It's only our third day back at school and I realise that Sora likes me? Kingdom Hearts...

**Preview for next chapter:**

_I didn't know how rugby really worked; it just reminded me of a bunch of buffaloes tackling each other for an egg-shaped ball. _

"_What's he doing?" Sora gasped beside me. I untangled my fingers from his and stared at Riku who stood on the pitch in one spot. When one of our players tried to fling the ball at him, he made no move to catch it and allowed the opposing team to score a point._

"_What's up with him? He's supposed to be our captain!" Hayner screamed furiously at the side bench._


	4. Rugby Match

**2 days later and an evening later:**

A lot has happened during the past two days- in terms of school work of course. The load of homework keeps building up each class period and my schoolbag is so heavy that my Mom thought I tossed huge rocks inside it. Roxas still doesn't know that I like him but he and Sora have grown closer as friends. It's almost like he found a long lost brother in Sora, who fills the void that Ventus has left.

The latter didn't show up at school. Roxas refuses to tell us anything, then again, he never talks much of his family. Sometimes his mood swings frighten the light out of Kairi and me. Not even Olette is able to relax him. Thankfully, Sora is there to calm him down and for once, I am glad that Sora is now part of our group.

The rehearsals for the play aren't starting till next week and I literally have butterflies swarming in my tummy from the thought. Our drama teacher will be Xion's mother, Tifa Lockhart-Fair and Leon himself.

Speaking of Xion, I haven't seen much of her in school either. Riku has been quite distant from his own group of friends, he sits further away in the cafeteria from the rugby mob or else with Vivi, who seems to be having problems with Seifer. I swear, I think Seifer is terrorizing the poor kid but he wouldn't utter a word about it...

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The bell rang and people scurried to get to the rugby pitch in the Third District.

"But the match isn't starting until an hour!" I sighed. I packed my books into my bag. Kairi took out an orange coloured lollipop and tore the wrapper apart before sucking on it.

"Ya sure you want to stay here and sketch?" she asked, a lump in her cheek due to the lollipop made it difficult for me to understand what she was saying.

"I'm pretty sure; besides, I want to paint a sunset." I held my other bag with all my watercolours and sketch pencils over my arm and waved.

"Okay, Nam, see ya later," Kairi waved back as I headed to the yard outside. I sat on a bench and immediately commenced painting. The sunset was breathtaking; rosy hues mingling with an orange glow that cascaded from the sky and onto the concrete ground. I smiled because my favourite part of painting was to mix colours together. It came to me naturally.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar piano song being played from inside. Seemed to me that a few people stayed to finish some projects but no one played piano in our school because the piano teacher died a few years ago. The people considered the piano to be cursed and no other teacher was brave enough to come forward. Should I warn this person now about the curse?

My heart pounded like a hammer in my chest as vivid images played through my mind- what if the person dies before I reached them? My paintbrush slipped from my fingers and I ran back into the school hallway. I stopped because the piano player began that familiar song again...

What was the name of that song? Why couldn't I remember it? I pondered deeply, trying to find the memory embedded into my brain. Nothing came to my mind but I knew I loved this song.

I approached the concert hall but the piano player ceased. Pushing the doors apart, I stepped into the large hollow room, only to find that the mysterious pianist was gone.

"Is anybody here?" I asked, strolling towards the black grand piano. I fingered the large keys. How did pianists play with these things? How did they perform so well and press the right keys at the right time? Demyx played the guitar, but it was nothing compared to a piano.

"Naminé? You're still here?"

Pence entered the hall, looking around. What, did Pence play that beautiful song?

"You can play the piano?" I asked incredulously. Pence gave me a blank stare and shook his head.

"Nope, I heard the piano that's why I came here. Funny though, I was going to ask you the same question," he replied frankly. I glanced back at the shiny, black keys sandwiched between larger, ivory ones.

"Unless...Our old piano teacher came back to haunt us..."Pence gulped and grabbed at his dark hair. His stout little legs shivered with fear. I rested a hand on his shoulder to put him at ease. He relaxed and surveyed the gloomy hall.

"The mysterious player was playing a song that I knew...But I can't remember what it's called," I said, placing a finger on my chin and thought to myself.

"It was Dearly Beloved, the Kingdom Hearts theme, all the worlds play it, that could be a reason why it was familiar to you," my chubby friend assured. Of course! The last time I heard this song was when Dad was awarded a bravery medal from King Mickey. My whole family was there to witness that moment- including Demyx. The song was played to signify the unity between the worlds due to the soldiers of the Kingdom Hearts Organisation, risking their lives to save us from the Heartless.

The memory caused a tear to slip down my cheek. I wiped it away before Pence could see. I never realised I missed Dad so much. I couldn't wait till he returns this weekend.

"Shall we head to the rugby match? It's getting really late," I explicated. Pence nodded and followed me out.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

By the time we reached the local pitch, the sky had blackened and clusters of stars were sprinkled across the sky, some were obscured behind the dark clouds. Pence sat next to Alice and Vivi. I moved in between Kairi and Sora.

"How's the match going?" I asked Kairi. She stared at me with watery eyes. I raised a brow. Kairi's nose was slightly pink and her eyes didn't have that usual shine in them.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" I said. Sora flashed me a warning look.

"I'm going home, Nam. Axel is coming to pick me in a few minutes," Kairi said quietly. The match was moving at a fast pace below us, our school's players were wearing our chosen colours against the Hollow Bastion team. Roxas' dad, Cloud Strife and Xion's dad, Zack Fair were our school's coaches. Zack jumped around the pitch, shouting about techniques to the players enthusiastically while Cloud sat at the side bench, arms crossed against his chest.

I tore my attention away from them and glanced back at Kairi.

"What's wrong? Were you crying?" I whispered. She shook her head and wiped a rolling tear from her cheek. Kairi looked at the luminous screen of her phone before shoving it back into her pocket.

"Axel is here, I'm off." She patted my head and left without another word. I moved a seat next to Sora; my heart was down after seeing Kairi like that.

"Is she okay?" I stared at my shoes, saddened by the thought of my best friend in despair, "She's really bad at hiding problems."

"I think it's something between her and Ventus. She's been on about him since yesterday," Sora said, placing his hands behind his head. My eyes widened and I was sure they were popping out of my head. My insides twisted into an uncomfortable knot.

"S-she told you that she was having problems?" I quipped through gritted teeth. My fingers clenched the hems of my cardigan. How could Kairi not tell me about this? What was the point of being best friends if she told Sora about her problems? She hardly knew him! Sora stared at me in a naive manner.

"She not tell you? Ventus has been bugging her about something. She won't tell me exactly what it is," he replied.

I sat there wide-eyed and shocked. What was going on here? Was it so bad that Kairi decided not to tell me and tell a strange kid instead?

"Naminé, what's wrong?" Sora waved a hand in front of my face. I pushed it away reflexively. A tall boy from the Hollow Bastion School chuckled at our behaviour beside us. His pale blonde hair glinted in the moonlight. He pushed his red cape over his uniform and smirked.

"You're very awful with your girlfriend," the boy grinned. Sora's jaw dropped open while my cheeks flushed red.

"And who do _you _think you are?" I placed my hands on my hips and glared as fiercely as I could, scrunching my nose at him in anger. The boy chuckled again and flicked his hair with two fingers, his eyes beaming with malice and charisma.

"The name's Ace. What's your name, little lady?" he shuffled a deck of cards in his hands and pulled out the ace of hearts.

"Umh...Naminé," I said awkwardly, my eyes following the movements of his hands.

"And I'm Sora," Sora blurted beside us.

"So...Naminé...Pretty name," Ace replied, completely ignoring Sora. He shuffled his deck again and pulled out another card. He grinned and turned it around to show me what it was- the Queen of Hearts. I got it now; this Ace guy was a player. Sora shifted uncomfortably on his bleacher and growled under his breath.

Ace handed me the card, making sure to touch my hand with the contact. I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't used to boys flirting with me and I'm sure Ace was one of those guys whose hobby was to flirt with girls.

"I'm supposing you and the _dork_ there aren't dating?" he continued, shuffling his deck of cards once again and pulled out a joker. His steel gray eyes met Sora's deep blue ones mockingly.

"Of course we are," I said as casually as I could and my fingers intertwined with Sora's. The latter stared at my hand incredulously before meeting my eyes. A pink hue tinged his cheeks and he gave me a timid smile. What an idiot...The reason I was pretending was so Ace could leave us alone.

Ace wasn't buying this but it made him shut up. He turned his attention back to the match.

I wasn't a huge fan of rugby as it reminded me of a pack of wildebeests chasing each other for an egg-shaped ball. I recognised Hayner running from one side of the field to the next before three huge buffaloes leapt onto him. The referee blew a whistle and Hayner was moaning on the ground. Two medics rushed in with a stretcher to take him off.

"Riku! Take Hayner's position!" Zack screamed frantically, moving his arms up and down like a frightened chicken while Cloud attended Hayner's injuries.

"What's up with him?" Sora raised a brow as I untangled my fingers from his.

I glanced at Riku standing in one spot on the pitch. He didn't make a move when his team-mate threw the ball towards him and allowed the opposite team to snatch the opportunity and score a point. Riku remained unchanged, frozen on his spot.

"What's he doing! He's supposed to be our captain!" Hayner retorted on the side bench. He pushed Cloud aside and limped his way to Zack.

"Riku! You douche-bag! Pull yourself together!" the blonde screamed. However, Riku was in complete oblivion to what was happening around him...

My phone started buzzing in my pocket; looked like Mom was getting worried since it was nearly eight o'clock.

"I have to go home," I said to my friends.

"I'll walk with you," Sora offered. I was about to say no but I saw Ace watching us from the corner of my eyes.

"Sure," I replied, feigning a smile. My eyes swivelled to Roxas and Olette's direction. Olette had her head rested on his shoulder and Roxas had an arm draped around her waist. Eew...Yep, I needed to get away from here as fast as possible.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sora surveyed my estate area.

"Hey, I live around here too! So this means we don't have to walk too far for the magic lessons," he grinned. I saw my Mom's car at the front porch and Demyx's motorbike.

"Umh, you don't need to walk with me anymore, I'll move on from here," I stammered. A few beads of perspiration rolled down my forehead. If Mom sees me with Sora, she might get the wrong idea. She never minded me walking home with Roxas or Ventus because they were childhood friends of mine but Sora was a different matter.

"Huh, why?" he asked, giving me an innocent stare. I pushed him to the side and ran ahead.

"Naminé!" he called me. I sensed the hurt in his voice and my heart was leaden with guilt. I stopped to catch my breath once I reached the front lawn and rang the doorbell.

A tall man with kind eyes opened the door. He grinned boyishly at me and I gasped in excitement.

"Dad!" I screamed happily, instantly forgetting my weird day at school. He laughed with me and lifted me off my feet as I threw my arms around his neck. My Mom yelled at us from the kitchen.

"No swinging in the hallway, Balthier and Naminé! You'll end up breaking one of my vases! And _you _Demyx, you better finish your dinner before I gorge it down your throat!"

"Mom, I'm not a baby! And you know how much I hate sprouts!" Demyx moaned.

Dad let go of me and winked. We both giggled between us. This sense of familiarity enlightened my spirits. I loved it when all my family was together again.

"Ashe, don't ruin our moods already," Dad teased, he held my hand and walked into the kitchen. My Mom was preparing the kitchen table. She was wearing a beautiful black cocktail dress with matching high heels. Her eyes had smoky eye-shadow and her short hair was pinned up. Demyx waved at me, he messed with his sprouts in boredom and distress. I noticed dark circles under his eyes and his cheekbones were gaunt.

"Are you two going out for dinner or something?" I asked, trying to hide my smirk. Seriously, I adored my Mom and Dad as a couple. The way they brought up their kids earned them much respect in the community.

"And a hotel for the night, Demyx here will babysit you," Dad said and winked at me again before glancing over at Demyx, "Is that alright with you, Dem?"

"I'm not doing it for free!" Demyx retorted and folded his arms across his chest childishly.

"And I'm not a baby anymore, Dad" I chuckled. Mom restrained a smile from the corner of her lips and handed me a plate of vegetables.

"Shall we be off, Balthier?" she said, looking at my father who nodded and placed an arm over her shoulder.

"Okay kiddoes, we'll be off. Give us a ring if you need anything. If you find anything suspicious going on, then go straight to the Strifes' home. Nami, I've a special gift for you in your room."

Dad kissed my cheek and ruffled Demyx's hair before leaving. I ate my dinner quickly; dying to know what present was upstairs.

"How was college?" I asked my brother.

"Fine..."

"That's it? Just 'fine'?"

An awkward silence filled the air. Demyx sighed and pushed his chair away from the table. He murmured something about the toilet and walked out of the kitchen.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I found a wrapped present on my bed. It looked like some kind of clothing due to its soft texture. Ripping the paper greedily, I gasped and pulled out a beautiful ivory sleeveless, sundress that flowed down to my knees.

With the dress came matching white sandals. I fingered the dress in amazement. I could wear this to the Christmas ball! And hopefully go to it with...Roxas...

The sound of the front door banging shut frightened me out of my thoughts. I peered out of the window and saw the figure of my no good brother sneak away from the porch. He threw a hooded sweatshirt over him and walked off towards the right.

I furrowed my eyebrows in distress. How could he be breaking Mom and Dad's trust like that! It was nearly eleven o'clock so why was he sneaking out of the house at this time? But most importantly, where was my no good brother sneaking off to?

I tapped my fingers on my chin and the worst of plans bounced through my mind. Mom and Dad would have me grounded for the rest of my life if they found out...

I grabbed a coat and fastened the buttons quickly.

Demyx...I needed to see what he was up to. Throwing my phone into my coat pocket, I took the house keys and stepped outside in the chilly night air.

_Preview of the next chapter:_

_A gang of young men whistled at me tauntingly. My heart rummaged against my ribcage and I looked like a frightened rabbit surrounded by a cluster of cats._

"_Hey babe! Where are you off to?"_

"_Look! She's all alone?"_

"_We could pay you for your services if you want!"_

_I curled my fingers into my palm and punched one of them in the nose. He fell back in agony and screamed expletives at me as I ran ahead, not looking back. I heard them run after me._

**A/N: Dun Dun DUNNN! Will Namine be able to escape the gang or not?**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone who read this story, favourite it, alerted it, reviewed it- I really appreciate your support. :)**

**As I've told Yuki Minamoto, my awesome Beta Reader, there will be cameo appearances from other Final Fantasies that didn't feature some of their characters in KH. I will write down the list of characters and which ff they are from if you aren't too familiar with them after every chapter. You can search them up on ff wikia.**

**Ace- Final Fantasy Type-0 (previously known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII)**

**Cloud Strife- FF 7 (Was in KH 1 and 2)**

**Zack Fair- FF7 (Was in one of the KH prequels, can't remember which one)**

**Ashe- FF12**

**Balthier- FF12**

**Leon (Also known as Squall)- FF8 (Was in KH 1 and 2)**


	5. Night Time Worries

The night air outside was chilly and a light drizzle fell upon the earth. I inhaled the scent of soggy soil and buttoned my coat before stepping off the platform to my house. The sound of laughter in the distance frightened me. I shivered in one spot, surveying the neighbourhood for Demyx's hooded figure. He was nowhere in sight. I gulped and took another step forward

I've heard about girls being abducted by strangers at night or else being assaulted by perverted old men. These thoughts terrified me to a point where hell felt like home. Someone tripped in the distance and I noticed blonde hair glint under the orange LED lights. I narrowed my eyes.

"You're not getting away, Demyx..." I treaded after my no good brother who pulled his hood back over his head. He stopped instantaneously in his tracks, back straightened and breathing shallow. I placed a hand over my mouth and ducked behind a car until I heard the shuffling of his footsteps moving forward again.

Fear tingled down my spine as I followed him out of our neighbourhood- my sanctuary. Mom had given me such a sheltered life that I've only been out of our estate on very few occasions. Demyx continued moving with a quick pace, his hands in his pockets. I made a mental note in my head to try and talk to Riku's brother Yazoo. He might know what Demyx was up to since they were doing the same course in college.

Demyx stopped again and looked back, I didn't have enough time to hide but I kept my head bent and my hood covered my identity. He gave me a bizarre look as if he recognised me or something so I pretended to take a left turn into an abandoned alley. I sighed with relief, beads of sweat gathered at the edges of my forehead; my fringe now grimy and sticky against my skin.

I counted until ten before stepping out of the alley but to my horror, my brother was gone! I was alone in the middle of nowhere and with not a speck of a clue on how to get home! My breath quickened and fogged in the cold, night air. Tears were brimming in my eyes and I was dizzy with nausea. What was I to do? I cursed myself for walking into the alley! Great, Naminé, just great...You try to be a hero and you end up as the victim!

The orange LED lights provided the only light in the obscure darkness, flecks of luminous molecules swayed underneath their hooked heads. I walked to one as light always relaxed me. However, no amount of light could stop the pessimistic thoughts that were running through my head. I began chewing my nails from the nervousness. I didn't even have my phone!

What if someone kidnapped me right here? What if a perverted, old man tried to assault me? I imagined myself lying in this spot dead next morning...No! Mom and Dad! They'll come to the house and find it empty! What if Demyx returns and realises that I'm not in my room and calls our parents? My head was aching now at this point. I slid against the pole of the night-lamp and wiped the tears away from my eyes miserably.

_Namine Bunansa, a seventeen year old girl who wanted to get into art-college was found dead the next morning...Seemingly assaulted by a perverted old man by the name of...Of Perverted-Old-Man who could not be found in any corner of Traverse Town. She will be dearly missed..._

Wicked giggling broke me from my train of thoughts. I saw a group of five adolescents in their early twenties approach me; they wore dark hoodies and baggy trousers. I gulped audibly as they surrounded me.

"Hey little girl, why are you crying?" One of them asked, his teeth were a rotten yellow colour and I smelled the stench of alcohol emanating from him.

"I-I'm just waiting here f-for someone," my voice croaked. The hooligans exchanged ironic glances and laughed in a way that reminded me of barking dogs. I felt like a rabbit cornered amidst a group of stinky, wild cats.

"And who are you waiting for, your _boyfriend_?" Another one asked.

"Leave me alone!" I replied boldly.

"We'll pay you for your services instead," he continued and grabbed my thin wrist. A yelp escaped my lips. I clenched my free hand and punched the boy with force I never knew I had. He fell back, clutching his nose, screaming in agony. I ran for it.

"She broke my nose, that bitch!" I heard him bellow, his voice echoed in the hollow air. I heard them run after me. My legs were straining with fatigue but adrenaline kept me going, screaming wildly and crying at the same time. A dead end appeared and I stopped myself from crashing into the wall.

It was over...I will be dead by morning...I knelt down in defeat, accepting submissively what was to become of me. My eyes closed and the images of my family flashed through my mind. My Mom and Dad, I love them so much, my brother who had turned into an enigma, My friends who sculpted me into who I was, Roxas who I dearly cherished and Sora who...

I was in a dream-like state as I saw him approach me. The clouds parted from the sky and moonlight shone on the back of his head, bathing an aureole around him. I could have easily imagined him with a pair of wings. Sorry for putting you through so much Sora, even though I only knew you for two weeks...

My illusion of Sora bent before me and wiped the tears away from my eyes. His eyes were shining with a blue light that invited me to heaven.

"Are you okay, Nam? Roxas' dad got rid of those vandals who were chasing you," he said softly.

I blinked and suddenly, my body succumbed to my surroundings. I touched Sora's cheek to make sure he was real. He let out an audible gasp. I pulled away and almost laughed with glee before throwing my arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.

"N-Naminé?" he stammered nervously. I realised what I just did and pulled away.

"Sorry!"

"D-don't mention it," he replied, his cheeks flushed with a red colour. He helped me to stand up.

"I watched you leave the house so I decided to follow you in case, you know...Something like this happened. When I saw those goons approach, I called Roxas immediately. He and ran to your rescue."

"What? You _followed _me?" My smile vanished from my face and Sora stepped away cautiously. I shouldn't get angry on him- He called Roxas! Roxas cared about me! I held Sora's hand to calm him down. He stared at our fingers, gulping anxiously. I thought he was going to embrace me but I didn't want any romance brewing between us. To my luck, two familiar figures were growing out of the darkness.

"Roxas!" I cried happily. Sora flung his hand away from mine. I embraced Roxas and to my surprise, he embraced me back! Yes! The start of our love story...

A cough from Cloud shattered my great moment.

Cloud shifted his large sword to the side, his face devoid of any emotion as always.

"Come back to the house, the three of you. I'll ring Balthier and Ashe while Stella gives you some hot chocolate."

"Wait, you sure we should wake Mother at this time? She's no-," Roxas interrupted but his father glared fiercely at him that made him stop. Gosh, what was that all about?

Suddenly it hit me that Cloud wanted to ring my parents! Oh no!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Stella was a beautiful petite woman who ran the Strife household enthusiastically. My Mom and she were good friends in college, and Stella used to model for my Mom's fashion shows.

The blonde mother of the Strife twins handed Sora, Roxas and I a mug of hot chocolate. She gave an embrace almost as warm as the drink she provided and smiled empathetically. I noticed deep dark circles underneath her eyes. She must have been worried about Ventus.

The Strife household is rather plain compared to the plants and paintings around my house. Most of the walls were covered in checkered black and white wall-paper and almost every object was either black or white, including the clothes worn by the Strife family.

"So, did you guys find Ventus?" I asked. Roxas flashed me a warning look and the feigned happiness in Stella's eyes were replaced by pain.

"He didn't return...I do fear for his safety," she sighed tiredly and sat at the table with us. Roxas swirled his hot chocolate with a spoon, looking very uncomfortable. Sora also stared into his mug.

"We'll find him!" Sora exclaimed suddenly, pushing his chair away from the table and surprising the blonde woman. He raised a fist into the air like some superhero.

"We have the whole weekend. Me, Naminé, Roxas and Kairi, we'll all go to find Ven and slap some sense into him."

Stella smiled softly before saying, "Thanks Sora dear."

"Stella!" Cloud called from upstairs. Mrs. Strife apologised and scurried out of the kitchen. Roxas banged his mug against the counter. Sora and I glanced at him with worry.

"Sorry...It's just..." Roxas sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "You know what, never mind..."

We sipped on our hot chocolate in silence although Sora tried to bring up a few conversations. I was still shaken about tonight's incident and I knew my parents will question me about Demyx. I excused myself for the bathroom. Roxas jerked a thumb at the ceiling as if suggesting that the toilet was upstairs.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After leaving the toilet, I had rephrased a couple of sentences I could say to my parents but I heard arguing coming from one of the rooms. Curiosity took hold of me so I listened.

"How could you let that woman come here, Cloud! Do you think it's fair on me when I'm sick?" Stella protested. I paled instantly. I shouldn't be eavesdropping on Roxas' parents' personal matters.

"I just..." Cloud began.

"No! Enough of your idiotic mumbling! I'm trying _my_ best to keep this family together but you keep bringing back ghosts from the past. Did you know how _I'll_ feel?"

"Stella, please...I never knew it'll hurt you."

I shifted uncomfortably. Why was I still listening? This was none of my business. Could this be a reason as to why Ventus was a messed up kid and Roxas didn't talk much at school?

"Hurt me? _Hurt me? _We've been together for a long time and you have no idea what hurts and what not? Maybe this isn't working out at all."

"Maybe so...Should I leave?"

"You may not! What will I say to the kids if you prance off to that other woman?"

"You're misjudging me..."

"I know you well enough Cloud unlike how much you know me."

"Stella you're tired. Get some rest."

"Not until you answer me!"

"What do you need to ask!" Cloud raised his voice that made me jump. Even Stella was silenced. Someone grabbed my arm; crushing my wrist mercilessly. I turned to come in contact with a pair of icy blue eyes, emotionless and frozen.

"You're parents are waiting for you downstairs..." Roxas muttered. I noticed the anger in his voice. He pushed me towards the stairs, "And next time...Don't you dare listen to my parents' personal matters."

His tone was dangerous and I nodded quickly, my heart racing with guilt and fear.

My parents were waiting at the threshold. Mom embraced me when I reached the bottom of the stairs. Dad wore a grim expression, his eyes looked tired.

"We have a lot to talk of, young lady," he murmured curtly.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wasn't this just perfect? I was grounded by my parents and I got a lecture from both my Mom and my Dad. I was devastated and in tears when they took my paintbrushes away from my room. They told me that I wouldn't be seeing those until my punishment is over and that's not until a whole month.

However, I spoke of Demyx's unusual behaviour and my Dad drove out of the front lawn crazily in his car to find him. Poor Dad, his first night back in Traverse Town and he had to face this...My brother wasn't found and now Mom was waiting twenty-four-hour-seven at the porch, desperately awaiting for his return. She phoned the cops to ask about his whereabouts and they found him back in his apartment in his university campus.

Demyx refused to come back and this only broke my mother's heart even more. Dad wanted to drag Demyx back to the house but Mom stopped him and hoped that my no good brother would return when 'his heart tells him to'.

I shut my diary and moaned in frustration. Could my life get any worse?

Oh, and don't forget about Roxas. He didn't reply to my text when I apologised. I was broken, hurt and so so annoyed!

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out hastily, hoping that Roxas somehow heard my thoughts and...Sora sent me a text. My hopes melted like an ice-block in a scorching desert.

Sora: _Hey, you coming to the magic lessons?_

Me: _No. I'm grounded._

Sora: _Sorry to hear._

Me: _Is Roxas with you?_

I tapped my fingers on my desk but no reply came from Sora. What now? He decided to ignore me too? Men and their stupid way of thinking! My phone buzzed again. Finally!

Sora: _No. He's still asleep. Kairi's with me now. We're starting the lessons._

I pouted at his abrupt reply stared blankly at my white wall until Sora sent me another message that caused my heart to drop into my stomach and burn.

Sora: _You like Roxas, don't you?_

**Preview of next chapter:**

_The walk between Dad and I was brisk and neither of us spoke a word between us. I bowed my head in shame. I shouldn't have caused him so much pain. He was returning back to the Kingdom Hearts Organisation on Monday with horrible memories of this weekend._

"_Stop following me!" A scream erupted from close by. Dad didn't seem to hear it as he was too engrossed with his thoughts. I looked around and saw Xion poking her head from the window at a boy who was hanging onto a pipe close to her room._

_It was Riku._

"_Xion, we need to talk!" he said, the veins in his biceps were visible due to how tightly he was holding onto the pipe. He held a hand out as if expecting his gloomy girlfriend to help him into her room._

"_Get away!" Xion pushed his hand away, causing Riku to lose balance, the latter suddenly let go of the pipe and fell down._

"_RIKU!" Xion screamed. This time, my Dad also heard it._

**A/N: So sorry about the late update! I've been having a whole month of exams.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed so far, your reviews put a smile on my face and motivate me to keep writing. Hugs to everyone!**

**Final fantasy appearances: Cloud Strife, Roxas' father- Final Fantasy 7, also in KH1, KH2 and Chain of Memories.**

** Yazoo, Riku's older brother- final fantasy 7 advent children**

** Stella Nox Fleuret- Roxas' mother- to appear in upcoming title Final Fantsy versus 13**

** Ashelia (Ashe) B'nargin Dalmasca- Namine's mom- Final Fantasy 12**

** Balthier Bunansa- Namine's Dad- final fantasy 12**


	6. Together We Cry End of Season 1

**Sora's POV**

I stared at the cracked screen of my phone. It was slightly hard to read the messages considering how old my phone was. I got it from Uncle Genesis who didn't want anymore.

Back to the point, Naminé thought her little secret was well hidden but I noticed her crush on Roxas since the third day of school. She would giggle at his lame jokes and gawk at him like a love-sick bird when no one else was looking. I didn't know why my insides burned when she pushed me away and ran after Roxas most of the time. Didn't she realise how much Roxas loved Olette? Was she that selfish as to ignore _his_ feelings, let alone mine?

Why did I like her so much? Why couldn't I just let her go?

As I expected, she didn't reply to my previous text. Kairi sat on the wall beside me, her legs swinging one after the other persistently. I sighed and shoved the phone back in my pocket.

Naminé...She didn't know how much I cared about her. Last night, I was sure to have a heart attack if she was caught by those stinky hooligans. I would have gone in to save her myself had I not seen one of them draw a knife after she ran away.

My fingers ran through my hair nervously. I couldn't get her out of my head. Even my mother realised my quiet and aloof behaviour. Little did she know that a teenage girl was the cause of my current silence and heart ache. Never the less, I had to stay cheery for her and for my friends to hide what I was truly feeling.

"So, she's not coming?" Kairi's voice broke my dwindling thoughts. I nodded and shrugged as if I didn't care but honestly, I did. I wasn't angry on Roxas; it was never in my nature to whine about what I didn't have. Roxas was like the brother I never had and if he did have a crush on Naminé, I would have gladly brought them together but no, Roxas was truly in love with Olette. I couldn't allow Naminé to interfere with his life, even if it means I myself, will lose the chance of being with her.

"And Roxas isn't coming either. Should we just call it off and go for a smoothie instead?" Kairi continued, messing with her fringe.

"Hey, great idea!" I replied enthusiastically and helped her down from the wall. As we walked to the smoothie store on the First District, Kairi's mood darkened and her smile faded from her face. I placed a hand on her shoulder and we stopped walking.

"Is Ven still sending you those texts?" I whispered. Kairi shuddered and instantly embraced me. I tensed from the contact as she sobbed against my torso, her grip tightening on my shoulders.

"Kairi?"

"I feel so guilty Sora! I should tell the others where Ventus is, but I can't bring myself to face Roxas. I should have told him a long time ago about Venus' whereabouts. He'll be so angry if he finds out that I knew and I kept it as a secret. What should I do Sora? I'm so confused and if I tell Naminé about Ventus, I just know she'll let it slip in front of the others!"

I let her to cry because mother always told me that emotions can become toxic for the body if they're kept inside for too long.

"And Ventus keeps making fun of Axel. He's saying horrible stuff about my brother only because my brother found a picture of me in his notebook," Kairi continued through broken sobs, "And now he's blackmailing me!"

I finally released Kairi gently away and allowed her to sit.

"Wait a second..." I pulled a new tissue from a packet I always carried around. She accepted it and violently blew her nose. I sat beside her and ran a hand on her upper back in a brotherly manner, reassuring her that she wasn't alone in this.

"What is he telling you to do?" I asked after she was at ease. Kairi's lip quivered.

"He wants me to date him..." she said after an excruciating silence. I raised an eyebrow. Ventus never appeared as a guy who would emotionally blackmail someone. There had to a reason as to why he was doing this.

"And what did you say?"

"I told him to get lost. I don't like him, Sora. I can't go out with someone I've no interest in. I considered Ventus as a good friend, not a potential boyfriend," Kairi sniffed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes again.

"Listen, calm down and ignore him for the time being. I'll go to his hideout and talk this through with him," I responded. If this got out of hand, I'd have to let Roxas know where his brother was hiding.

"Let's go for a smoothie. Forget about this trash for now," my hand found Kairi's. She stared at me with teary eyes and smiled softly.

"Thanks Sora..."

"Friends look out for each other and I promise, Kairi, I'll always be here if you ever need a friend for support."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I closed the door behind me. My house was filled with tulips, ivory and gold, blooming in their glorious beauty throughout the house. Mother worked at a flower shop. Arranging bouquets and gardening were always a passion for her. She didn't earn enough to pay the rent. Uncle Genesis made sure to do that since he had no family to pay for.

The smell of curry filled my nostrils and my stomach grumbled. I placed a hand over my abdomen.

"Easy there big guy, let's you get filled up," I smirked to myself. I walked into the kitchen and found my mother glaring at me with her arms crossed. Her emerald eyes that I never inherited were shining with anger...Pure anger. Mother rarely lost her temper but something horrible must have happened for her to be in this state.

I still managed to smile and waved.

"Hiya, Mom. I see you made my favourite dinner!"

"Sora, shut up!" she exclaimed, her words wiped my confident smile from my face. I raised a brow quizzically. She sighed and her expression softened, sadness glooming in emerald depths.

"How could you go without taking your medicine?" she said, her voice breaking from imminent sorrow. She faced the other way, her long braid moving gracefully with her movements, a stark contrast with her pink summer dress.

"I...Forgot..." I lied, staring at my shoes in shame. She didn't speak after that but I thought I heard a sob, like the disappearing imprint of a star once it fades in the dawn. I slowly took a step forward and draped my arms across her shoulders, resting my chin over her head. Mother was a petite woman and now that I was seventeen, I was well taller than she was.

"Listen," I began, "I'm sorry for making you worry but I'll promise from today onwards that'll this will never happen again. She spun around and returned my embrace, her elegant fingers running through my unruly hair.

"You're all I have left, Sora. I can't afford to lose, I just can't," Mother whispered. I saw a glint of tear rolling down her cheek and my heart was heavy with guilt.

"I won't leave you, Mom, ever, I promise and once I make promises, I keep them.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Namin****é****'s POV**

I gazed blankly at my Applied Magic book, my pencil rolling between my fingers. Sighing, I pushed my chair away from the table. Being grounded sure was boring, not to mention, frustrating.

I paused when I heard a knock at the door.

"Yes?" I asked monotonously. The door opened ajar. My Dad stood at the threshold, his arms folded. He seemed pretty tired, making me feel remorse for causing him so much trouble last night.

"Come on Naminé. Let's go for a walk. I'm leaving after tomorrow anyway."

My heart skipped a beat when I heard that he was going away once again. My hand gripped the pencil tighter, guilt surging through my body. I nodded, putting on a smile but he didn't respond to my feigned cheeriness.

My spirits faded as I lumbered to my wardrobe and threw a tracksuit hoody over my t-shirt and jammed my feet into my runners. We walked out of the house, Dad closing the door quietly behind us so not to wake Mom.

It was a cold morning, in contrast to the sun throwing feint rays upon the neighbourhood. Red coloured leaves fell to the floor, a sign of autumn approaching. The wind blew through my long blonde hair, making it stick to my face. I placed it a strand behind my ear.

The walk between Dad and I was brisk and neither of us spoke a word between us. I bowed my head in shame. I shouldn't have caused him so much pain. He was returning back to the Kingdom Hearts Organisation on Monday with horrible memories of this weekend.

"Stop following me!" A scream erupted from close by. Dad didn't seem to hear it as he was too engrossed with his thoughts. I looked around and saw Xion poking her head from the window at a boy who was hanging onto a pipe close to her room.

It was Riku.

"Xion, we need to talk!" he said, the veins in his biceps were visible due to how tightly he was holding onto the pipe. He held a hand out as if expecting his gloomy girlfriend to help him into her room.

"Get away!" Xion pushed his hand away, causing Riku to lose balance, the latter suddenly let go of the pipe and fell down.

"RIKU!" Xion screamed. This time, my Dad also heard it. He grabbed my shoulder and ordered me call an ambulance as he headed towards the fall.

I punched the emergency number on my phone, fear gripping my heart and followed Dad to where Riku was lying. The sight caused me to freeze in my spot. The boy looked like a complete mess. Riku's arm was sprained in an awkward position. His forehead was busted and there was a pool of blood beneath him.

My head was dizzy from all the crimson and for a moment, the weakness in my extremities almost made me faint. Dad caught me in time.

We heard the porch door open. Xion came running out, tears spilling from her dark cerulean eyes. She tried to embrace Riku but my Dad pulled her back.

"No! I must see him!" She screamed, trying to pry from my Dad's grip. The ambulance arrived straight after, carrying Riku onto a stretcher before Xion could grab at his motionless body.

"Where's Zack and Tifa?" my Dad demanded.

"T-they're gone shopping..." Xion sobbed, her face wet with tears.

"Naminé, you stay here with her. I'll go to the hospital with Riku and call his father."

"Okay," I nodded and placed an arm around the trembling raven haired girl, helping her back inside the house. She clung onto me as if I was her mother, crying into my shoulder.

"It's all my fault, Naminé...If he dies..." she cried through bated breath. I hushed her and patted her shoulder, letting her sit on a couch in the living room. I got her a glass of water to soothe her sore throat and a tissue.

She blew violently into the tissue but nodded gratefully at me. Xion seemed different. I expected her to throw me out of the house but she didn't. It's almost as if she wanted me to stay with her. I mean, Xion was the bitch of the school, but I sensed fear emanating from her. Her eyes were glooming with vulnerability and dread.

"Everything will be okay. Don't worry," I reassured, daring to take a seat beside her.

Her house was much larger than ours since her parents both worked in the army and had a higher salary. She lived in what Kairi and I called, 'the royal area' since all the kids in this area had larger houses. The room had a plasma T.V and calming vermillion red wallpaper. The floor was tiled with three large couches spread across it. A neat, glass coffee table stood in the middle of the couches. The fireplace was decorated with two oriental vases on each side, filled with yellow and white tulips inside them.

"No it won't! Everything will not be okay!" She said, pushing my arm away from her shoulder. She inhaled sharply, eyes focused crazily on the wall. Seeing her like this was scarier than playing basketball against her in P.E class.

"Nothing is ever okay! Everyone is a fake liar! Everyone!" Xion's lips quivered before she broke down crying again, cursing life and humankind. I wanted to leave at this point. It was uncomfortable but I couldn't help but sympathize with her. Her break up with Riku must have ended horribly. I hugged her and she sobbed vehemently on my shoulder. Many moments later, she fell asleep across the couch and I carefully adjusted a blanket over her shivering body.

I headed for the door.

"Naminé?" the girl croaked from the living room. My hand settled on the door knob and I glanced at her. Her face was wasted and pale as she sat up. I knew I was trapped.

"Don't go...Please?" she pleaded softly. I sighed and went back into the living room, sitting on a couch opposite hers. Xion resumed sleeping, leaving me alone to listen to her silent breathing in a foreign and empty room.

**End of Season 1.**

**Preview of Upcoming chapters in Season 2:**

_The mysterious piano player had long left when I reached the concert hall. There at the stage was a stout boy, searching beneath the grand piano._

"_Pence? I though you didn't play the piano?"_

_\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_

_The rugby gang and Barbie dolls glared daggers at us once Riku proceeded to sit beside me. For the first time in my life, I wish Sora was in that spot, not the silver-haired adolescent who still had a cast on his arm._

_I noticed Xion tense behind her desk, her face contorted as if someone had thrown rocks at her._

"_Hey..." Riku greeted, breaking me from my trance._

_\/\/\/\/\/\/\/_

"_Break it up, you two!" Mulan separated the two boys. Hayner narrowed his eyes at his ex-friend and Riku responded with an equally icy look._

"_I'm switching partners for your project. Kairi and Namin__é__, I'm sorry I have to do this but Riku, you go with Kairi and Hayner, you go with Namin__é__."_

"_What!" Kairi and I shouted simultaneously._

_\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/_

_The hairs on the back of my neck rose when Riku grabbed my wrist and pulled me close. Close enough for me to swallow the scent of his perfume._

"_I really like you..." he whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my back. Only one image flashed through my head._

_Roxas._

_\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_

"_Namine, please help me?" Pence said, eyes now brimming with tears, "it's my only chance to find him."_

_This was near the impossible. How were we supposed to look for someone who we hadn't seen before?_

_\/\/\/\/\/\/\/_

"_Sir, why did you call me here?" I asked Diz, the principle who never took any liking to me but this time, I realised he looked at me in a way he hadn't before. Was that sympathy in his eyes?_

"_Your mother has called for you...I'm sorry to say but...Your father had a plane crash."_

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. From now on, the oncoming chapters will be alot darker and more mysterious and I will be focusing on family issues as well Namine's love life and her interactions with other kids' mysteries. The main plot is ofcourse that four boys in her school will change her life forever so please bear with me.**

**Thank you everyone who reviewed so far, I really appreciate it as it motivates me to keep on writing and strive to generate more enjoyable chapters, plot-wise and literature-wise. Please leave a review again and let me know how I'm doing and if there is any contribution you would like to do with the plot. :)**

**On a side note, I know most characters are OC but hey, I found KH characters to be quite 2-dimensional. The only ones that interested me were Riku and the nobodies. The rest didn't develop at all. Sora was always nice and Kairi was always a princess so I decided to give the characters personalities that I thought were more befitting with the plot of this story. **

**Thanks for all your support!**

**Your friend,**

**Realms of Destiny**


	7. Silver

**A/N: First of all, let me apologise to you all for not updating earlier. Life can get really messy sometimes that it extinguishes any flame of inspiration left but I've found my inspiration again, so hopefully, there will be faster updates.**

**Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. Next chapter will be longer. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed and given me your support so far. It's because of you guys that I'm still writing this story! Love you all! ^^**

**Now, on with the story...**

* * *

**1 month later**

The falling Riku incident overshadowed my near-murder experience. In fact, nobody knew about the hooligans that chased me except for Roxas, Sora and Kairi. I hated to think about it because every time I do, I just remember what happened after...

Don't get me wrong, I know it was stupid of me to have eavesdropped into Cloud and Stella's conversation and Roxas still hasn't forgiven me for that but...I worried for him and Ven. There's something going on in their family that I know is hurting him inside but he just wouldn't share it. Does Olette know about this? Geesh, I still despise her company around me.

It got so bad that I screamed at her once to leave me alone. Sora intervened and told me to apologise which I had to with Roxas glaring with a contorted face as if there were onions hidden in my shoes. Olette was so upset that Kairi found her crying after school. She didn't even kiss Roxas goodbye that evening and left for the train to Twilight town. Great...I lose another point to obtain Roxas' forgiveness and approval.

Sometimes I laugh at how serious my crush was. Was it worth it? Should I really be hurting others because I can't have Roxas? Should I talk to Kairi about this?

Anyways if I steer away from the Roxas dilemma, I come face to face with Xion who sickeningly called me her friend. Where did she ever get that idea? I never liked her since kindergarten! Her pretty mother, Tifa, came to me afterwards just after Riku was away by the ambulance. By that time, Xion was fast asleep and Tifa allowed me to return to Ashe. She was a sweet woman. Why can't that bitch be like her mother for once?

I didn't have to complain for too long because once Riku returned to school after what seemed like an eternity, Xion stopped talking to me. I wasn't surprised about that but what did surprise me was that Xion and her cronies of Barbie dolls and rugby players excluded Riku completely. It's like as if he committed an unforgivable sin that they decided to excommunicate him from their cult. He stayed the rest of the days with Vivi, Pence and Alice- surprise, surprise.

Riku's father on the other hand didn't show much gratitude to Dad either. He just grunted when my Dad told him to teach his son some manners and not to be climbing up to a virgin girl's room.

"What about your _own_ son, Balthier?" Riku's father sneered. Dad was furious and refused to visit Riku in the hospital anymore. He also told me to stay away from the silver-haired klutz as Riku 'didn't appear trustworthy.'

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I walked to school with Kairi as usual on a Monday morning. Roxas didn't walk with us anymore for obvious reasons.

"Applied Magic homework was quite hard over the weekend that I had to get Sora's help. Come on, _me_? Asking for _Sora's_ help?" I said incredulously. Kairi suddenly looked around her.

"Where's Sora anyway?" she asked. I raised a brow. Since when did she care about Sora's presence anyway? After he told me to apologise to Olette, I stopped talking to him. He told my Mom to tell me that he was sorry. Mom thought it was a boyfriend issue- typical of her.

"He's very smart for someone who likes being goofy," Kairi smiled in a dreamy way that made my insides churn. Did she like him? Her smile was crooked and her eyes were glazed over, looking far in the distance as if she could see something more than mere buildings.

"Kairi?" I began but she didn't respond. I waved my hand in front of her face to snap her out of her reverie. She jolted and blushed.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed. I just smirked though inside me, I was burning. Why didn't I approve of her feelings for Sora, if she had any? Did Sora like her? They spent alot more time together then with anyone else. I almost forgot that Kairi was _my_ best friend since she was hung out Sora nowadays.

"I have to text him if he doesn't show up in homeroom," Kairi droned. I rolled my eyes but she caught my sardonic expression and gazed at me as if she was hurt. Guilt swarmed through my body like a wave. Kairi shook her head and fastened her pace to school, leaving me behind.

Sometimes, I really want to slap myself. First Olette and now Kairi- but how could she get the only boy that ever liked me? Does Sora even like me anymore? Did I like him?

I stopped in my tracks and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I made up my mind. I couldn't lose Sora but how could I approach him after the Olette incident? It's obvious that Roxas will probably not talk to me anymore so I have to have a shot with Sora.

I slowly smiled when I remembered Sora's friendly features. Maybe if I ask him to go to the ice-cream parlour with me today, I might get to know him better and if our outings are successful, we might even...Become a couple.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

My eyes scanned for the aforementioned brunette when I entered the home room. I sighed disappointedly when I didn't see him. He must have been sick today and stayed home. I made my way to Kairi and sat beside her. She greeted me with a big grin which made me guilty for making that sarcastic face to her earlier, but Kairi had always been like that. She didn't like to fight with her friends and preferred reconciling the gang. Unfortunately, her reconciling ways didn't affect Roxas who still ignored my presence in school.

"Do you think I should text Sora if he's coming in?" she asked, making my heart plummet in my chest. I avoided cringing my eyes and pursed my lips, nodding vaguely at her question. She giggled- a coy giggle that usually escapes from her if she's around Riku but this time...It hit me then that Kairi liked Sora! How in the world did this happen without me knowing? What was so great about Sora that she liked him? Sure, he was cute and friendly but Kairi could win cooler boys with her pretty looks. Why Sora all of a sudden? I felt too angry to ask her.

A paper plane whacked me across the back of my head, snapping me out of my thoughts. Oh great...Not this drama again. I winced and rubbed the back of my head. Someone had a good throw with that useless plane. Kairi growled and looked back to find Hayner snorting with Selphie.

"Leave him," I murmured. There was no point in wasting our time with that idiot.

"But, Nam...Okay," Kairi sighed and turned away but suddenly we heard Hayner scream like a girl and in a flash he was thrown across the floor. His table was turned over. The whole class gathered around him and his attacker, chanting 'Fight' to encourage their motives.

"Umh...Naminé, you might wanna see this," Olette called through the crowd. My eyes widened as I saw a tall, silver haired guy that had caught Hayner into a headlock.

"Riku! Let him go!" I yelled. Riku glared at me with his apple green eyes but slowly complied.

"Apologise to her," he spat, pushing a red-faced Hayner on the ground towards me.

"No way!" Hayner began but a kick on his backside made him scream an apology at me. I sensed Roxas tense with astonishment beside Olette. He must have been enjoying seeing his childhood enemy getting beaten up by the tallest boy in the school.

"Say it properly!" Riku demanded, forcing another powerful kick across Hayner's backside. My hands flew over my mouth. I couldn't believe what I was seeing before my eyes. Riku was beating up his once best friend.

"I-I'm sorry..." Hayner choked. The class was laughing around us, even lesser members of the rugby gang. Selphie didn't look too happy. The only person who was oblivious to this was Xion, who stayed seated and pretended to look over her Applied Magic homework.

Footsteps were heard outside and everyone took their seats immediately when Leon entered the room. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously when he found Hayner sprawled around the floor in pain. His hands were rubbing the sore area where Riku had kicked him.

"Do you need to use the toilet?" Leon muttered mockingly. The class burst into a choir of laugher and Roxas laughed the loudest. I'd never seen that boy laugh so much before. The last time he laughed like that was when we watched the Lion King movie when Timone and Pumba outwitted the hyenas and that was many years ago.

"Bastard!" Hayner yelled, presumably at Roxas or Riku but Leon thought the expletive was aimed at him. Our instructor raised a brow and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Detention for a whole week, ," he replied more coldly in a tone that silenced the classroom

"B-but Sir! I could explain," Hayner pleaded but Leon held up a hand to silence him and ordered the humiliated boy to sit back on his seat. Kairi nudged me and grinned mischievously.

"Since when was Riku your knight in shining armour?" she whispered. I blushed and ignored her. Yeah, she was right. What made Riku stand up for me? Hayner liked to throw planes at the nerds of the class but Riku usually enjoyed the torments we nerds had to go through. Maybe he felt like he owed me something, since my Dad practically saved his life?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I packed my bag when the bell rang for first class. Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned and my eyes widened in surprise to find Roxas grinning crookedly behind me.

"R-Roxas?" I squeaked, heat rushing up to my face. His dreamy cerulean eyes bore into my grey ones and he rubbed a hand through my hair. I thought I was going to faint.

"Great job, Nam, I hadn't seen so much fun in ages. If it wasn't for you befriending Riku, Hayner would never have got the treatment he deserved ten years ago," he said.

"Befriend Riku? What are you talking about? I didn't befriend anyone," I replied honestly. That was true. I never talked to Riku. Heck, I was forbidden by my Dad to go near that boy after the insolence caused by his father. Roxas stared at me and just shrugged.

"Well then, thanks for being attractive enough for Riku to stand up for you," he uttered casually.

"Attractive? You...Think I'm attractive?" I asked, my cheeks flushed from all the heat. I would have melted into the floor by now but Roxas' next words were like a stone shattering the glass of a window.

"_Attractive_? Hah! You're so funny sometimes Naminé! It'll take a fool to find you attractive and Riku is that fool!" Roxas chuckled, clutching his side, eyes narrowed from the cramps of laughter, too narrow to notice the tears brewing in my eyes.

"Attractive...Too cute, Naminé," he laughed away, following Olette out of the classroom.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I headed towards the Applied Magic room, forcing the tears to remain at the edge of my vision. Okay, so Roxas decided that he wanted to be friends with me but what did he mean that I was only 'attractive to fools'? I knew the blonde wasn't very eloquent when it came to description but didn't he know how much he hurt my feelings? It's true that I haven't got the best of looks in this school but that doesn't mean that Roxas should point out at how imperfect I am.

The classroom was filled with Hayner's gang who didn't appreciate my presence. Hayner was glaring at me the whole way through and Selphie...Goodness, where should I start with Selphie. If the phrase 'looks could kill' should apply with her angry expression then I would have been sprawled across the floor dead right now.

I slouched on my chair and slammed my book on the desk, not caring at the demonic whispers that rang behind me. My heart beat in my chest at the sight of a silver-haired giant enter the classroom. Riku smiled at me and I widened my eyes when he approached my table. Darn it! What did he think he was doing? A rugby player should never ever stand up for a nerdy artist- that was going against adolescent etiquette.

The rugby gang and Barbie dolls glared daggers at us once Riku proceeded to sit beside me. For the first time in my life, I wish Sora was in that spot, not the silver-haired adolescent who still had a cast on his arm.

I noticed Xion tense behind her desk, her face contorted as if someone had thrown rocks at her.

"Hey..." Riku greeted, breaking me from my trance.

"H-hey," I replied, my voice shaky and I didn't know why. I pretended to look over my homework, not daring to start a conversation first. I was grateful that he stood up for but I was in enough trouble as it was with my dad and now the rugby gang.

"That's wrong there," Riku said suddenly that I almost jumped out of my seat. He chuckled and pointed at my copy.

"The magic of Graviga isn't because of electrons jumping to a higher plane but it's more got to do with electrons appearing and disappearing in random places. Thus, the energy emitted allows Graviga to defy the laws of gravity," he explained. I was gaping at him. Since when was Riku so smart? Heck, there were many things I didn't know about him but this was pure creepy.

"Oh," I droned. Riku removed his copy from his bag and found his weekend's homework.

"I didn't copy your homework this time, Naminé. Here, you can take down this answer," he winked. I crinkled my nose at him. The whole situation was uncomfortable. Here was a guy I barely knew and he was talking to me as if we were old friends. I pushed his copy away and saw dejection in his eyes. The disheartened expression of his caused guilt to form inside me.

"No thanks, I'll just let Sir Merlin correct it instead," I said, with a smile, hoping to break the barriers of discomfort I felt around him. He stared at me for a few moments that made my legs shake and my heart heavy with intimacy but soon after, he returned the smile.


End file.
